Excitement
by Aiko Yamarashi
Summary: "You're really tall, you know?" "And I can throw you across the quad, you know?" Lucy said Levy needed more excitement in her life.
1. Princess Levy

Title: Excitement

Summary: "You're really tall, you know?" "And I can throw you across the quad, you know?" Lucy said Levy needed more excitement in her life.

Pairing: GaLe/Gajevy

Note: My first story for the Fairy Tail fandom. Enjoy! I do not own Fairy Tail, anything associated with it, or any other familiar brand names or popular series that might pop up. This is strictly fan-based.

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><p>"Lu-chan?" Levy called while searching the empty room for her roommate.<p>

Her eyes landed on the desk at the side of the room. Lucy, ever the aspiring author, left her most recent attempt at a novel open for the eye to see on top of her desk. Curious, Levy walked over and picked up the stack of papers, skimming over them. After all, Lucy said she'd let her edit it.

"_Just when Princess Levy thought all hope was lost, she peered out the window of her tower for her Prince Charming once again, hoping he'd be riding up on horseback to free her," _Levy read inwardly, quirking an eyebrow higher with each word.

"Lu-chan!" Levy yelled, adamant for an answer about what she was reading. "What the hell is this?!"

Lucy walked into the room, drying her hair with a towel. "What the hell is what?"

Levy spun around and shoved the pages in Lucy's face. "You're making me the subject of your next novel? I never agreed to this!"

"Well, you said you wanted to edit it," Lucy giggled, taking the papers from Levy and stacking them neatly on her desk. "What are you doing in my room anyway?"

"That's beside the point! I said I wanted to edit your novel, not be in it!" Levy followed Lucy wherever she walked in her room, hot on her heels.

Lucy spun around and bumped into her. Rubbing her head with one hand, she pushed Levy back with the other to sit on her bed while she continued to get ready. "What's the big deal, Levy? Is it such a crime that I wanted to write about my best friend's life?"

"But that's not my life!" Levy slammed her hands on the bed for emphasis. "I'm not some fairytale princess! And really, a tower? Isn't that kind of over-done?"

"It's just a start," Lucy defended, combing out her hair in front of the full length mirror on her closet door. "And I had to spice in up a bit. After deciding to write about you, I realized your life isn't the most interesting thing in the world. You're an English major, a total bookworm, and started up the only book club on campus; you don't really have anything exciting going on."

"I can be exciting!" Levy said, jumping up. "I mean, my hair's _blue_! How much more exciting can I get?"

"Levy, I'm not saying you're not an exciting person. All I'm saying is that you don't really have anything exciting going on right now. We were wild in high school, sure, but we're in _college_ now. I don't blame you for wanting to focus on your major, and that can mean sacrificing a few things." Lucy watched Levy react behind her in the mirror.

Levy ground her teeth and clinched her fists, ready to throw a tantrum. With her small size and high-pitched voice, tantrums were her strong suit. But, being the new college woman that she was, she took a deep breath and released the tension from her body. Perhaps Lucy had a point.

"I guess I have gotten kind of soft," Levy admitted, scratching the back of her head. "Maybe I do need a little more excitement in my life. College is when all that is supposed to happen, right?"

Lucy smiled at her roommate in the mirror. "Levy, I just want you to do what you're comfortable with. Don't let me, my novel, or anything else change that about you, okay?"

Levy returned her smile and hugged her from behind. "Alright, Lu-chan. But if you're going to write about me, at least make it a good story."

"I will try and do you justice," Lucy promised, turning to face her. "So, why exactly were you in my room in the first place?"

Levy laughed sheepishly. "I wanted you to print out the sign-up sheets for the book club so that I could lay them out at our booth later."

"What's wrong with your printer?"

Levy avoided the blonde's questioning gaze.

"…You printed out too many online book coupons and ran out of ink again, didn't you?"

"Maybe."

Sigh. "Fine. Use my printer."

XxX

The activities fair was Levy's favorite part of college when she was a freshman the year before (aside from starting up a book club on campus when she realized the campus didn't have one), so she was excited to be a part of one of the booths this year, advertising the book club she started. Standing on a ladder, she looked down to admire their table and tarp with all the papers stacked up neatly lining it. All that was left to do was hang the banner across the top of the wooden slats attached to the table below her, and their set up would be complete. Posters were for chumps.

"Levy-chan, don't fall!" Droy called from beneath her.

"Yeah, we won't know what to do without our club president!" Jet added next to him.

Honestly, her boneheaded friends acted like she was on a tightrope above the whole campus. Although, it would hurt if she hit the concrete from her height, so she passed on scolding them.

"I'll be alright. I'm almost done!" Levy assured them.

After fastening this one side, she just had to move the ladder to the other side and straighten out the banner. This would be a lot easier if they had more members. Currently, there were five: Jet, Droy, Lucy, Freed, and herself. But the flashy banner they had would hopefully change everything. They painted it themselves, and who doesn't love hand crafted decorations?

"Where are Lucy and Freed?" Jet asked.

"They wanted to check out the rest of the fair, so they're going to come join us later," Levy explained, finishing her tape job on the first side of the banner. "All done over here!"

"Careful when you come down," Droy warned, holding a death grip on the ladder.

Levy just shook her head and was going to start her descend before she realized the tape was coming up. She wrapped another layer of duct tape around the pole, just in case.

"You idiot, she'll be fine! She's not as dumb as you," Jet said, smacking Droy for emphasis.

Droy faltered into the ladder, shaking it a bit just as Levy tore off the piece of tape she was working with. She teetered at the top.

"Be careful down there," she warned, descending the ladder.

"Look what you did," Droy said, shoving Jet. The action shook the ladder once again.

Levy looked over to see the commotion and warn her bickering friends that they'd make her fall, when she lost her footing and slipped the last couple of steps, effectively twisting her ankle and sending her to the concrete sidewalk below.

"Levy!" her friends called to her as she smacked the concrete.

The concrete wasn't as hard as she expected. It felt like it had a soft coating and was really warm. She also felt like she was still elevated…

Levy opened her eyes, not realizing she had squeezed them shut, and met the red eyes of a man she didn't recognize. His tall stature and long, wild black hair blocked out the sun, allowing her to effectively see his face, which exhibited piercings along his eyebrows, nose, lip, and all the way up both ears. She was tempted to count them all until it dawned on her that she was curled up in the arms of a stranger.

"You alright there, pipsqueak?" his voice thundered over her. It was deep and gritty.

"You're really tall, you know?" she stated, voicing the first thing she could think to say.

"And I can throw you across the quad, you know?" he retorted, moving to set her down next to the ladder she fell off. Jet and Droy looked dumbfounded.

"Sorry, I'm just…I…thanks," Levy sputtered, hopping out of his arms. Her ankle rolled underneath her in the process, and she hit the concrete anyway, despite her rescuer.

"Man, you were just dying to taste asphalt today, huh kid?" the mysterious man asked, squatting down to give her a hand up.

"I'm not a kid," she grumbled. "I'm twenty."

"Shorty," he snickered, hoisting her to her feet.

"Crap," she hissed, looking down at her scraped knee and swelling ankle, bracing herself against the man.

"Yeah, you really did a number on that leg," he said, helping her hobble over to sit on one of the steps of the ladder.

"Levy, are you okay?" Jet and Droy asked in unison.

"Yeah, I'll be alright," she assured them, rubbing her throbbing ankle. "Can you guys go get me an ice pack and a first aid kit or something?"

"Yes ma'am!" They both saluted and ran off, blaming each other for the mess on the way out.

"Do they always do that?" the stranger asked, following her friends with his eyes.

"More often than one would think," she giggled before hissing at the pain in her ankle.

"I'd stay off that ankle until the swelling goes down," he advised, examining her injury with a raised eyebrow.

"Thank, doc," she said, gently putting her leg down. "You an aspiring medical student?"

"Hardly," he scoffed. "I'm here for music production."

"That sounds neat. I'm an English major here; I want to edit books one day—"

"I didn't ask for your life story," he cut her last word short, glancing at her with narrowed eyes and his arms crossed.

He was an intimidating character, no doubt, but Levy was short and scrappy. She could nibble on his ankles or jump on his back and cover his eyes until he begged for mercy if she needed too.

She blew some hair out of her face. "I don't suppose your sticking around to sign up for the book club?"

He shook his head. "Reading isn't really my thing."

There it was; the typical answer everyone always gave her.

"I see," she sighed.

"If I'm giving you the wrong impression, I guess I'd better go," he said. As if on cue, a woman with blue hair called out to him, motioning him over to her. "See you around, shorty."

Before he got too far away, she yelled at his back, "I'm Levy, by the way! Thanks for helping me!"

"Gajeel," he tossed over his shoulder before he was out of earshot. Then, he disappeared into the sea of college students.

Levy glanced from the half hung sign to the ladder, down to her swollen ankle and bleeding knee, and then settled on the crowd of people her savior disappeared into.

Lucy said Levy needed more excitement in her life. She wasn't sure if this is what she meant or not.

The sound of the banner falling behind her broke Levy out of her thoughts. She cussed under her breath. Perhaps posters _weren't_ for chumps.

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><p><strong>Short, I know, but it's only the first chapter. More to come!<strong>

Reviews are love!


	2. Kingdom

**A big thanks to all of the people who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story. You are all lovely! Anything you want to see? Any questions you have? And suggestions on how to make it better, just let me know. I enjoy constructive criticism as well!**

"Levy, what happened?!" Lucy asked as she ran up to the chair Levy was sitting on beside the book club table.

Her ankle was propped up on another chair across from her, wrapped with an ice pack resting against it. Jet and Droy returned soon after her savior disappeared and babied her until her ankle was taken care of and she refused to move anymore.

"I fell," was all Levy said, sparing Jet and Droy from Lucy's wrath if she had told her it was all their fault.

"I am so sorry! I should've got here sooner!" Lucy squatted beside Levy's ankle, examining it. "Does it hurt?"

"The ice is numbing the pain, and not walking on it really helps," Levy explained, thrusting a clipboard with the sign-up sheet for the club attached to it at a passerby. "Jet and Droy fixed me up." She scowled when the person ignored her.

"Good job, guys!" Lucy told the pair, slapping both the men on the back.

"Thanks, Lucy!" Jet said, attempting to rub the sore spot on his back. "We'd do anything for Levy."

"Yeah, unlike that guy who just left her sitting on the ladder and walked off," Droy added. "What if she fell again?"

"Guy?" Lucy asked, shooting the question at Levy.

"Yeah, some guy I never met before caught me when I fell off the ladder," Levy told her, shoving her clipboard at more people.

"Woah, there's a lot of things that aren't adding up here," Lucy said, running a hand through her hair. "First, you told me you fell. You didn't say you fell off the _ladder_."

"Oh, yeah," Levy said, only half paying attention.

"And if this guy caught you, how'd you hurt your ankle?"

"I hurt it on the ladder." Levy glared at the retreating students again. "And then fell when he put me down."

"And that's how you hurt your knee, right?" They both examined the bandage on her knee.

"Yup. Sign up for the book club!" she shouted at the passing students. They all ignored her and continued down the path.

"Levy, focus!" Lucy shouted, shaking the bluenette by her small shoulders to get her attention. "Who's the guy that saved you?"

"I told you, I've never seen him before." Levy smacked the blonde's hands away from her. "I'm a little busy here, Lu-chan."

Lucy pursed her lips as her roommate went back to ignoring her. Leaning over to whisper in her ear, she asked, "Was he hot?"

Levy twitched at the sudden closeness and whirled on Lucy, nearly colliding forehead to chin. "Lu-chan, please! If you're not going to help then leave."

Lucy sighed, figuring she could wait to get answers out of Levy later. "Fine, Levy, but we're not done here." She snatched a clipboard off of the table.

"He wasn't that great," they heard Jet muttered, followed by an affirmative grunt from Droy. Levy's eye twitched as Lucy glanced back at her.

Shrugging it off, Lucy started thrusting the clipboard at the passersby. "Sign up for the book club! Hey, hey you! You know you like books! Come on, how can you say no to two cute girls? Hey you! Don't say no to a cripple!"

"Lucy!" Levy shouted, offended. She had to shut her up.

"Yes?" Lucy asked, turning to her best friend.

"He was hot."

Lucy jumped around giddily and then proceeded to chase people down the sidewalk with her clipboard. They weren't getting any new members today.

XxX

Later that week, long after the depressing activities fair (in which they still got no new members), Levy's ankle and knee made enough of a recovery that she was back to spending all of her time in the library. With Lucy working on a new romance and nothing to do, or eat, in their dorm, Levy figured she'd distract herself with her favorite thing: free books.

She sat in her favorite spot in the rather large room: the far back right corner in the science-fiction section. Most people didn't come to the library except to use the computers or copy machines. If they came to check out books, they'd always be somewhere in the nonfiction section gathering books for their reports. Hardly anyone checked out books just for the fun of reading, and the few who did venture into the fiction section understood not to disturb people when they were reading. The science-fiction section got the least amount of traffic because hardly anyone on their campus ever read it. And in the far back right corner, behind aisles and aisles of endless books, nobody could see small little Levy. That was just the way she liked it.

Bright red reading glasses on and nose shoved in a romance novel that Lucy had been pestering her to read, the bluenette almost didn't notice the presence that joined her. They would've gone completely unnoticed if they hadn't casted a shadow over her book.

Levy looked up and caught a sight of someone's right arm, decorated with scars. Her eyebrows knitted together as she traced up the arm with her eyes until she noticed the long, messy black hair.

"Nice glasses, shrimp," a gruff voice came from the figure, glancing down at her out of the corner of his eye.

Levy fell back on her hands, casting the book aside. "It's you!"

"Wow, already forgot the name of the man that saved your life?" he asked, turning to face her, his red eyes staring menacingly into her hazel ones.

"N-No!" she stammered, sitting up and dusting off her tight black pants, trying to compose herself. "It's Ga…Ga…Ga ha ha?" She grinned sheepishly.

He rolled his eyes, returning his attention to the shelf. "Really?"

She grabbed her novel and opened it harshly. "Oh, and like you remember my name?"

"Levy," he said automatically, pulling a novel off of the shelf and reading the back of it.

"Yeah?" she asked, turning to him.

"Your name is Levy," he repeated, giving her a sideways glance again.

So he did remember her name. Scratching the back of her head, she focused her attention on her book again, trying to think of a way to dig herself out of this awkward situation.

"Gajeel," he interrupted her thought process. He put his book back and began searching for another.

"What?"

"My name is Gajeel."

"Oh, right!" she shouted before remembering she was in a library and lowering her volume. "You know, it would've been easier to remember if you had told me sooner or stuck around longer."

"I remembered your name," he said, finally deciding on which book to get. He cracked the small paperback book open and leaned against the shelf.

"Well, I also think my name is easier to remember," she said, studying the book in his hands. "Lord of the Rings?"

"I've always meant to read it, but never had the patience," he admitted, taking a seat next to her.

"This is kind of my spot," she muttered, not really thinking he heard her. She owed him for catching her, and she didn't really mind the company if he was actually going to read. Plus he smelled good. Not that she intentionally sniffed him or anything. Just an observation.

"First you complain that I didn't stick around your little table, and now you want me to go?" he asked, not taking his attention off the book. "Make up your mind, squirt."

"Do whatever you want," Levy sighed, trying to get back to her novel.

"You're just craving attention aren't you?" he asked, slapping his book down in his lap. "You're trying to use that woman logic crap on me where you say one thing and really mean another, aren't you? Well, let me tell you something, shorty: I—"

"If I were craving attention, why would I be sitting in the loneliest corner of the library reading a book and hoping that nobody sees me?" she effectively cut him off, whipping he head toward him.

Gajeel's mouth opened and closed a couple of times.

"Nothing to say now, _Gajeel_?" she stressed his name, proving to him that it stuck with her this time.

"Whatever, shorty, I'm just trying to kill some time," he said, reopening his novel. "And I'm going to do it here. In _your_ spot."

"Oh, you heard that?" she asked, a light blush rising to her cheeks. "I didn't really mean that you had to leave."

"Good," he said, crossing his ankles out in front of him, "because I'm not gonna."

"Fine," she said, returning to her book as well.

Silence fell over them for a few minutes before Levy broke it.

"I'm kind of glad you found me," she admitted, closing her book and placing it in her lap. "I'm really grateful that you showed up and caught me. That whole situation could've turned out a lot worse. Thank you, really."

"You know, for a bookworm, you talk a lot," he said, not looking up from the page.

Levy scowled at him, knowing it would go unnoticed. When he looked up, her expression changed to a smile.

"Why are you staring at me?" he asked, cocking an—

Holy shit. He didn't have eyebrows; just three piercings above each eye that functioned as his eyebrows.

"You don't have eyebrows," Levy blurted out, then slapped a hand over her mouth.

Gajeel scoffed and looked back at the cover of his book that was now closed in his lap. "Genetics."

"I am so sorry," Levy whispered through her fingers. "Sometimes I just blurt things out and—"

"It's fine," he chuckled, ruffling her hair. "No big deal."

Levy fussed with her hair, trying to fix the headband in it while staring down at her lap. It's like she didn't have a filter anymore. After Lucy told her to start being more honest, Levy blurted things out sometimes, forgetting she wasn't with her best friend who would always forgive her.

"Hey, do you want to go get some coffee or something?" Levy asked while tightening the band wrapped around her hair. "You know, as my way of repaying you for the other day and I guess keeping me company while my roommate is out gallivanting with her new man candy?"

When Gajeel didn't respond, Levy turned in his direction to see if he was listening, her hands falling out of her hair.

"If this is your way of asking me out, you're not really my type." He threw a smirk in her direction, his red eyes looking over her.

Levy resisted the urge to cover herself, trying to look offended instead of embarrassed. "I wasn't asking you out! If you don't want to come, I'll just go get some myself."

She stood up with a huff, throwing her purse over her shoulder and stomping over to the romance section where she got the book from. She couldn't make a dramatic exit if she had to stop and check it out at the front desk.

Halfway down the aisle, she heard him call, "Wait up, shorty!"

Turning around, he was only a few steps away from her, his long strides not needing much time to catch up with her short ones.

"No, no, I don't want you to get the wrong idea," Levy said, violently shoving the book back in its place on the shelf. She continued to stomp off toward the front doors, but her exit was made less dramatic by him easily keeping up with her.

"Come on, shrimp," he said, grabbing her by the arm and halting her, nearly knocking her over with his tug. "I like the idea of free coffee."

Levy rolled her eyes, slipping her small elbow out of his grasp and leaving the library. Gajeel kept up easily.

"Not gonna disappear this time?" she asked, quickly glancing up at him with narrowed eyes.

"Wouldn't dream of it shrimp," he said, giving her a pointy grin.

xXx

"So, let me get this straight," Gajeel said, setting his coffee down on the small table between them. "Your roommate—"

"Lucy," Levy reminded him.

"—right, Lucy—wants to date Salamander?" Gajeel grinned and shook his head. "I don't think that guy even knows the first thing about women."

"And you do?" Levy asked.

"I'm still trying to figure some stuff out, but I guarantee I know more than him." He took a sip of his coffee.

"So why do you call him Salamander, again?" Levy quirked an eyebrow and played with the cardboard sleeve on her coffee cup.

"Long story," Gajeel explained. "In the orphanage where we grew up, he kept playing with fire."

"That explains almost nothing."

"Hey, I didn't give him the nickname."

They both shared a laugh and drank from their cups. The pair had been sitting in the small coffee shop for nearly an hour. Levy told him about when she died her hair blue, how she was valedictorian at her high school, and how she started the book club on campus. When she ran out of things that she thought were relevant about her, she started talking about Lucy. Gajeel admitted that he was raised in an orphanage where he met Natsu, Lucy's pink haired new crush, and Wendy, a girl they treated like their little sister. He also told her that he worked in a body shop on Saturday mornings and that he'd been writing his own music for about five years now. They also both discovered that they pretty much have the same circle of friends.

"Well, anyway, now that she spends most of her free time trying to figure out if he likes her, I spend most of my time in the library to distract myself from our empty dorm," Levy said, tracing the rim of her coffee cup with her pointer finger.

"Being alone isn't so bad," Gajeel said, shrugging. "Natsu and I never really did much together unless we were fighting, and my friend Juvia stopped paying attention to me after she developed this strange obsession with Gray."

"Aw, is Gajeel lonely?" Levy teased him in a baby voice, reaching over to pinch his cheek. He nearly bit her.

"No, I like being alone," he told her. "What about you, shrimp? You're over here complaining that Lucy's not paying attention to you."

"I want Lu-chan to be happy! Plus there's always Jet and Droy I can hang out with."

"You mean those two weird guys that made you fall off the ladder?" Gajeel cocked a pierced eyebrow.

"That would be them," Levy sighed. "I have other friends, too! I'm just not as close with them."

"Well, why not hang out with those two idiots?"

"They both intend to marry me one day."

"That's a hell of a competition."

Levy rolled her eyes. "It isn't going to happen. But, back on topic, I'm not lonely. Being alone gives me time to read."

"Well, I guess if you ever get too lonely, shorty, you and I can go do something together," Gajeel offered nonchalantly.

"If you haven't been listening to us talk for the past hour, you and I have nothing in common," she told him. "Why would you want to hang out with me?"

Gajeel shrugged. "You're pretty cute."

"Are you hitting on me?"

"Of course not. I just meant you're a cute person. Don't get a big head now, squirt."

Levy rolled her eyes. "I guess I can take you up on that offer."

"Look at it this way." Gajeel leaned closer. "Your roommate thinks you need more excitement in your life. Who better to help you with that than me?"

Levy chewed on her lip, thinking of all the things Lucy could say to her. "Deal."


	3. Trusty Steed

**You guys are lovely. Thank you to all of the people who reviewed, favorited, and followed. Sorry for the late update, but I've been trying to get back into my college habits. I promise I'll try to develop a regular updating schedule where you don't have to wait as long!**

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><p>"I don't know about this, Gajeel," Levy said, looking skeptically at the large black motorcycle displayed in front of her.<p>

"Come on, shrimp," Gajeel said, slapping her on the back. "Taste the adventure."

Levy rubbed her new sore spot. It had been a few weeks since their talk at the coffee shop, and Gajeel was determined to give Levy an extra dose of excitement in her life. Every time Gajeel even brought up so much as a scary movie, Levy shot the idea down instantly and made an excuse to go do something else. This time, Gajeel had surprised her, and he wasn't taking no for an answer.

"But what if it flips over or something?" she squeaked. "Do you even have helmets?"

Gajeel took a black motorcycle helmet off the handlebars and plopped it on Levy's head. It engulfed her small skull easily. Her small face was barely visible.

"What about you?"

"You're not driving it yet, so I think I'll be alright," he said, shooting her a smirk.

"What do you mean _yet_?"

"Hop on!" Gajeel slapped the visor on her helmet down and dragged her closer to the bike.

He threw his leg over, straddling it, and then offered Levy a hand. She took it skeptically and climbed onto the seat behind him with great effort.

"Where are we going?" Levy's muffled voice could hardly be heard.

"Wherever the hell we want." And with that, Gajeel revved the engine and took off without giving Levy any warning.

She grabbed onto him for dear life. She could've sworn she could feel him chuckling.

The longer they road, the more Levy began to relax, which was to be expected. His long black hair tickled her exposed shoulders and arms as she clung to him. Soon, she eased back enough and opened one eye to see the images passing around her in blurs. They weren't going extremely fast, but it was enough to make her heart race. She was glad she settled for her white capris and orange tank top that day instead of something like a skirt.

She couldn't help but wonder where he was taking her. Parts of campus zoomed past them everywhere she looked, but he showed no signs of stopping even when they reached the edge of the campus.

"Where are we going?" she shouted in vain. She knew he couldn't hear her through the muffled helmet, rushing wind, and roaring engine.

She sighed and tried to relax, telling herself over and over that he wasn't trying to kidnap her. After all, she had only known this man for a few weeks. If getting on a motorcycle going who knows where with a guy she'd barely met wasn't adventurous, then what was?

After about ten more minutes of driving, Gajeel pulled into an empty parking lot and kicked down the kick stand, shutting off the engine. Levy still clung to him, unsure of what his intentions were.

"You alright back there, shorty?" he asked over his shoulder, prying her arms from around his waist. "Woah, not so tight. People might actually think you like me."

Gajeel snickered at his joke, but Levy just sat there dumbfounded on the back of the bike, blushing under the helmet. What did he mean by that? She did like him to an extent. She thought he was a relatively nice person. Sure, she still didn't know much about him, but she liked him well enough to get on a motorcycle. Is that what he meant? She always thought about things too much.

"Shorty?" Levy returned to reality to see Gajeel standing next to the bike and snapping his fingers in her face.

She stumbled backwards, nearly falling off her seat. Gajeel grabbed her shoulders, steadying her, and then helped her off.

"You almost bit it," he chuckled, stripping the helmet off her head.

She shook her hair out and fussed with it, fearing she had helmet hair.

"You're fine," he said, ruffling her hair as if he knew what was going through her head.

"That thing is so stuffy," she said, wiping her hands down her face and smoothing her hair. "I don't know why you haven't gotten a new one yet."

"This one makes me look mysterious," he explained, spinning the helmet in his hands and then placing it on the handle bars. "The ride wasn't so bad, was it?"

"I enjoyed the breeze," Levy shrugged, stretching. She had some serious muscle cramps from holding on so tight.

"Well, I've got something for you."

"You do?" she paused her touching her toes to look up at him while still bent over.

He reached in his pocket and then dangled a chocolate bar in front of her face.

She stood up straight, and he raised the chocolate bar with her, keeping it at eye level.

"A chocolate bar?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I figured I'd give you a treat if you did well," he said, giving her a menacing grin. She was sure those grins were meant to be sincere.

"I'm not a dog, Gajeel," Levy told him after a brief moment of silence, snatching the chocolate bar from his hand.

"Never said you were," he said, patting her head. "But you still took the treat."

Levy bit her lip in thought, staring down at the candy in her hand. She had a wicked idea. A smirk etched onto her face as she looked up at Gajeel deviously.

"What's that look for?" he said, raising a pierced eyerbrow.

"We'll see who the real dog is," she told him.

"Wha—"

Before his question was fully formed, Levy shouted, "Fetch!" and threw the candy bar as hard as she could across the parking lot. She was impressed how far it went, given her tiny noodle arms.

"What the hell, shrimpy?!" he shouted, squeezing her head in his hands. "Don't treat me like some damn dog!"

"You did it to me first!" she yelled back. "Ow, ow, ow! Gajeel let go!"

"I bought that specifically for you!"

"You're squeezing my brain!"

"Is this how you show your gratitude for me helping you spice up your little boring life?!"

"I'm starting to lose hearing!"

Gajeel let go of her and she stumbled.

"You…you…butthead!" she yelled.

"Man, maybe I did kill a few brain cells." A smirk found its way onto his face.

Levy attempted to punch him in the arm, but he caught her small hand, his large, calloused ones easily engulfing hers. He pulled her to him so that their bodies touched. He leaned closer to her until his breath hit her face and stared her down.

"Go fetch the treat, or I won't play with you anymore," he said lowly. Despite his words, his tone actually gave her a chill.

"So you're actually going to treat me like a dog now?" she asked, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

He released her and stepped back. "The way I see it, you need to grow out of the defenseless puppy phase. That's what I'm here for. That's what our little adventures are going to do for you. I'll treat you like my little pet until I feel like you've progressed enough to be wild out on your own."

"…You're shitting me, right?"

"Defiance. That's a step in the right direction." He patted her head. "Now fetch."

"And if I refuse your little game?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Then you can go on about your little bookworm life, and tell your roommate that she was right about you," he said. "You can go tell her that there really is nothing interesting enough about you to write about."

"You really think that?" she asked. She felt a shard of pain somewhere within her, but tried to brush it off.

He sighed. "Just play along, shorty. I'm trying to help you out."

The softness in his voice warmed her enough to shrug it off and walk over to where she threw the chocolate bar. The only thing she had to lose was her dignity, right? And, honestly, how much of that did she have left?

"Happy?" Levy asked, waving her treat in front of his face.

He pushed her hand down and patted her on the head. "Ready for your next task?"

"What would that be?"

Gajeel threw something at her that she reflexively caught. It was a set of keys.

"What are these for?" Levy asked.

"You're driving this time." Gajeel winked at her and threw his leg over the back of the bike, patting the seat in front of him.

"Oh _hell_ no!"

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, kind of short, but I promise I'll update a little more regularly. And the next chapter will be better! I love all of you!<strong>


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